5 former Barcelona players you won't believe are still playing

Conforming to their status as a bona fide European giant, Barcelona have fielded some of the most star-studded squads in the history of the sport. While their stock has taken a massive hit in recent times, playing for the Blaugrana was considered to be the pinnacle of a footballer's career back then.

Legendary players to have played for Barcelona

Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi will definitely make an appearance in the bracket of the greatest players of all time. Such has been Barcelona's stature that both Argentinians were contracted to the club in different time periods. Brazilian maestro Ronaldinho also played a crucial role in shaping up the modern-day Barcelona.

Luis Suarez, who was the last Spaniard to win the Ballon d'Or, got his hands on the prestigious award during his time at Barcelona. Multiple who's who of the footballing world have donned the famous Blaugrana shirt with Xavi, Johan Cruyff, Carles Puyol and Rivaldo being a few of them.

With such an elite roster, Barcelona have been fortunate enough to shelter many players over the years. While almost all of the mentioned footballers have hung up their boots, a hoard of relatively unknown entities are still playing elsewhere. On that note, let's take a look at five former Barcelona players you wouldn't believe are still playing club football:

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#5 Alen Halilovic (Reading)

Halilovic after scoring for Birmingham in 2021

Considered to be a prodigy since his Dinamo Zagreb days, Alen Halilovic was Barcelona's answer to Real Madrid's acquisition of Martin Odegaard. At the tender age of 18, the Croatian phenomenon was snapped up by the Catalan giants for a nominal fee of €5 million in 2014. Initially playing for the B team, Halilovic was officially promoted to the senior squad in 2015.

An immediate loan move to a faltering Sporting Gijon followed. His side's struggles directly affected his game, but Halilovic did show flashes of brilliance. However, the youngster failed to impress then Barcelona manager Luis Enrique and was sold to Hamburger SV in 2016 after just a single first appearance for the first team.

AC Milan decided to take a punt on him two years later, but to no avail. Halilovic possessed obvious talent, but he failed to produce anything substantial with his abilities. After underwhelming stints at Heerenveen and Birmingham City, the 25-year-old failed sensation is now toiling in the Championship with Reading.

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#4 Nolito (Celta Vigo)

Nolito also had a brief spell with Sevilla

The fact that Nolito was a product of Barcelona's esteemed academy resurfaced during the Spaniard's sensational run of form in the mid-2010s. His heroics with Celta Vigo earned him a big-money move to Manchester City in 2016, linking up with fellow Catalan Pep Guardiola on English shores.

Prior to his move to Celta Vigo, Nolito was part of Barcelona's youth setup, regularly turning out for the B-team. After just five appearances for the senior squad that produced one goal and one assist, he was shipped off to Benfica in 2011 on a free transfer.

A loan move to Granada followed, and he was subsequently picked up by Os Celestes, who sensed his potential. Although his escapades in the Premier League ended in flames, Nolito is now back with the club where he first earned a name for himself, which is Celta Vigo.

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#3 Alex Song (AS Arta/Solar7)

Song flopped hard at Barcelona

Following a creatively stellar 2011-12 season with Arsenal that saw him produce 14 assists, Alex Song was snapped up by Barcelona for a sizeable fee of €19 million. Playing in a double pivot role alongside Mikel Arteta, Song enjoyed full freedom in a dynamic Arsenal midfield, enabling him to create so frequently.

This compelled Barcelona to sign the Cameroon international in 2012. Given his supposedly versatile nature, Song was expected to relieve some pressure on mainstay Sergio Busquets, as well as provide additional creativity for the team. However, Song failed miserably in terms of finding his footing at Camp Nou.

He was subsequently sent out on successive loans to West Ham United between 2014-2016. Failing to impress during his exile to the Premier League, Barcelona finally released Song in 2016. After a string of disappointing spells in Russia and Switzerland, the defensive midfielder spent most of 2020 without a club. The 34-year-old is now contracted to Djiboutian outfit AS Arta/Solar7.

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#2 Dmytro Chygrynskiy (Ionikos Nikeas)

Dmytro Chygrynskiy (right) playing against Arsenal

Three impressive showings against his future employers in the 2008-09 season were enough to convince Barcelona head coach Pep Guardiola to poach Dmytro Chygrynskiy from Shakhtar Donetsk. The Catalan tactician had become a huge fan of the Ukranian's work at the back and forked out a whopping €25 million to secure his services.

The long-haired centre-back was a mainstay in an exciting Shakhtar side before his switch to Spain. However, he turned out to be equally abysmal in his solitary season with Barcelona. After just 14 lackluster appearances with Blaugrana, then-president Sandro Rosell decided to send him back to Ukraine, against Guardiola's wishes.

After the failure of his dream transfer, Chygrynskiy could never display the kind of form that had compelled Barcelona to sign him in the first place. Two sub-par stints at Dnipro and AEK Athens followed, and Chygrynskiy is now with Greek outfit Ionikos Nikeas having signed for them earlier this month.

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#1 Jeffren Suarez (Lamphun Warrior)

Jeffren played for Spain's youth teams before switching national allegiances

Not only has Jeffren failed miserably to reach his initial potential, but has fallen to the bottom of the footballing ladder. Scorer of the final goal in Barcelona's fabled 5-0 drubbing of Real Madrid, the Venezuela international is now slumming out in the second tier of Thai football for Lamphun Warrior.

Coming through the ranks at La Masia, Jeffren was held in high regard by the Barcelona hierarchy back then. He was awarded the No.11 jersey in the 2010-11 season in an attempt to incorporate the youngster into the first team.

However, that season proved to be his final one in Catalonia, as the erratic forward was offloaded to Sporting CP in 2011. Jeffren's career path became that of a nomad following this transfer, taking him from the riches of La Liga to the obscurities of Switzerland, Cyprus, UAE and now Thailand. At 33, the once-promising youngster is now a washed-up striker in Thai League 2.

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